DIY meat locker

[UtahJimmy]

I've been wanting to do this for some time and it finally came together. I had a coworker donate a window unit after he upgraded to central air this summer so that gave me the spark I needed to start. Inside dimensions are 6'Hx5.5'Dx4'W.

Found some local 4" polyiso rigid insulation for CHEAP and framed it up. Used 3 bottles of spray foam for the cracks/gaps. Scratch and dent insulated steel door. The most expensive part is the coolbot controller. Still need to put the floor in (I got 2- 3/8"x4'x8' sheets of marine board from work for free). Also going to make a rack for the ceiling so I can better position all the meat.

It took 20 minutes yesterday to go from 63 to 38 when empty. Compressor on the AC kicks on about every 10-15 mins for a few minutes.

Figure I'll charge buddies a little to cover electricity cost and recoup a little for the build...

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What would you pay per week to have your meat aged in a controlled environment?

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[AdamW]

Pretty cool! Nice work.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Keep an eye on the unit and the temperatures in there. My buddy has a cold room setup for his brewing and at the colder temps has had issues with the AC unit freezing up.

 

[robby denning]

I’d pay 30$ if you gave me 21 Days


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[NJDiverDan]

I have a DYI walk in I built as well. Mine is 6X8X9' high the bars to hang from being 8 feet high. Your's seems about 1/2 the size. I have had 3 cow elk hanging in mine at one time, anther time 1 moose, 2 antelope, and 2 elk. With 5 animals it was pretty crowded but still performed great. I do not charge money for my friends to hang, but typically I help them with the butchering (I have an area dedicated in my shop and have the grinder / slicer etc) so they give me a portion of the meat. I never ask for anything specific, or have a set fee. It is always what they feel they want to give.

On the operation, yes watch for ice up. Sometimes (especially when warm meat is put in) I have experienced some ice up. A quick adjustment to the Cool-bot fixed that but only after de-icing with a heat gun.

Locally, the meat lockers get $10/day. So that is a number to go from if you really want to have them pay.

Also, if needed, make sure you have any Proxy statements filled out for anything hanging that is not yours. If F&G ever came knocking you would get a pretty good fine otherwise and your buddies could loose their meat. At least here in Idaho we have such a rule.

 

[Grumman]

I’ve wanted to do this also. What are you guys doing on the floors for the draining blood? Putting drains in?


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[FlyGuy]

Looks great. Good way to "pre-cool" ice-chests before loading up for a trip too.

Personally, I'm Not sure i'd charge buddies, not until I had an idea of the costs to operate it anyway. Maybe a roast or part of a back-strap, or a barter for a favor. But for friends of friends, well that might be another story.

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[EagleEye]

Looks awesome. I'd pay a six pack and a little blackstrap.


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[livingandlearning]

I’ve wanted to do this also. What are you guys doing on the floors for the draining blood? Putting drains in?


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We just cut a small sheet of plastic to put on the floor under the meat. We've never had enough blood for it to be an issue.

 

[530Chukar]

A friend of mine has one and it's a case of beer to hang. Good deal to me.

 

[UtahJimmy]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the feedback.

I like the idea of donating meat or tipping in beer. I think that's very fair!

I'll keep an eye on the icing issues. I suspect it will be more prevalent in the late summer months and when putting un-cooled meat in there like Dan said.

I plan on filling quite a few tags in the next few weeks, so I'll be packing things in there tight. Should get interesting! I definitely need to get the racking built so I can space things out properly.

 

[NJDiverDan]

You don't want a drain unless you have a good way to plug it as you will loose a lot of cold air down it. I used vinyl flooring and caulked the wall/floor joint so I can just mop up. Really do not get that much blood (maybe a 10" circle for each quarter), so it does not take long.

A few pics of my Elk-A-Rator...

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[UtahJimmy]

Loaded it up this Sunday... 6 antelope plus the half elk that's been in there since I finished it. I think I'll try to build something to utilize the void at the bottom. A small task that I can lay items on may be useful. Definitely need to finish the floor so I can capture the blood better.

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[Lawnboi]

Like this idea.

Living in an apartment for the time being really sucks, no viable way to age deer in a controlled environment. Really makes a difference.

 

[sodak]

Don’t pack it tight. The need for air movement around the meat is just as important as the temp. If you have cuts touching, you may see spoilage spots sooner. Also, no air movement, big problem with mold.

The a/c unit isn’t the best. Remember that there is a filter in there that catches dust that isn’t easily cleanable. The meat plant cooling units have a pan that is easily flushed with bleach and water.

Maybe put a fan in there to constantly circulate air.


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[RIELLY24]

the is awesome... can you use a regular window ac unit to get it down into the 30s, or does it have to be a special one?

 

[Roy68]

the is awesome... can you use a regular window ac unit to get it down into the 30s, or does it have to be a special one?

Yes you can use a window AC. CoolBot is the controller he is using. The MFG's website provides info on what AC units to use under their support library tab

https://www.storeitcold.com/support-library/

 

[RIELLY24]

Thanks!


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[wytx]

Put some big cardboard boxes on the floor, frig boxes etc. It will soak up the blood but not go through the cardboard. You can just replace the cardboard when it gets too much blood on it.
Bleach down the drain helps with the smell.
We have access to a small coolbot cooler and the drain never gets used. A simple spray down on the walls and floor with a bleach solution every year before hunting season gets it ready for animals.

 

[ian.chestnut]

This is a great setup. I may have to do some modification in my garage. It’s always hard to find a place to store meat especially during archery season.